Agra …

Today we left Delhi and headed off towards Agra. After breakfast … yummy Indian fare again, we did our final pack and headed down in the elevator. We met Yash in the lobby just before 9.00 and Rajan appeared with the car following a quick phone call from Yash. It was raining lightly today so the roads were wet. Thankfully the traffic was lighter as it was a Sunday. 

As we left Delhi Yash asked Rajan to drive us past the Viceroy’s house and the India Gate. You are not able to stop at either of these locations and the armed guards do a lot of whistle blowing and waving to make sure you do not loiter, but we were able to stop long enough for me to snap a couple of photos and for us to have Yash tell us more about each of these spots.

Then on we headed, driving on expressways towards Agra. The expressways are wide (at least 3 lanes), the traffic was light and whilst it rained on and off, the drive was fascinating. We passed new high rise towers being built on Noida, the newest emerging city as there is no land left in Delhi for any new developments. We passed brickworks with their furnace towers and huge piles of mud to make the bricks. We saw cows wandering on the expressway and Yash filled us in on the sacred nature of the cow in India and how they provide for the families (and the consequences of accidentally hitting a cow!).

Part way through our drive (just on 4 hrs all up) we stopped at a roadside stop for a “washroom” visit, a chance to grab a coffee and Ian snagged some chips from KFC. Yash and Rajan both grabbed a bite to eat and then we were off again.

Arriving in Agra we headed straight to the hotel. We are staying slightly out of Agra, close to the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal. It was just on 1.00 and Yash checked us in and then left us until we were to meet up again at 3.00 for our afternoon adventure to Agra Fort … but more on that later. We asked Yash if he would freak out if we went for a walk in the local neighbourhood rather than sit in our hotel room, and after a brief warning on watching out for traffic and how to be a pedestrian in India (the only thing he was worried about) … he said we would be fine.

So we headed to our room (which is gorgeous!), to dump our luggage and then went back out to explore. We gave ourselves about an hour, and with the help of Google maps we meandered through the local streets and lanes. We walked in amongst the local houses, said hello and waved to everyone we passed, answered the same question (where are you from?) over and over again, dodged the tuk tuks, the motorcycles, the mud and the cow dung! The people were friendly … massive smiles and lots of staring and pointing, but we felt safe and didn’t feel we intruded. 

Back at the hotel we did a quick grab of things we needed for our afternoon and then sat in the lobby to wait for Yash and Rajan … but more importantly to watch the guests of a wedding appear out of the lift in their saris and kurtas (the men’s tunic). Almost all of them were dressed in shades of vivid yellow, with the occasional pink. The outfits were stunning … embellished and jewelled, fine stitching, flowing fabrics. Some were happy to pause and pose for a photo too. Yash arrived, so my watching was curtailed. He was able to tell us that they were dressed in yellow as it was the Haldi ceremony … when guests place dabs of  a paste made from turmeric, milk and oil whilst wishing the couple blessings. This is apparently the second day of a three day wedding ceremony!

 

Leaving behind our beautiful guests we headed off to Agra Fort. I’m going to say upfront that this was the most amazing place ever! Built in 1565, it is huge. It is double walled with a moat (again now dry and once filled with crocodiles) and a draw bridge. Behind the second wall is a narrow jungle where they kept tigers to guard the fort! Inside the fort is a palace for the Mughul’s wife that bore his first child, his other wives (one from each religion … he was very secular) , plus sleeping space for his 5000 concubines! There are gardens (including the Grape Garden … called that for its shape and not because they grew grapes). There are reception halls where you could greet the Mughul (if granted an audience). There are also views back to the Taj Mahal, which made me well up with tears! 

The fort covers 38 hectares (94 acres) and not all of it is open to the public. Some is still used by the Indian Army. We spent an hour and a half wandering through with Yash providing commentary as we went. His guiding is invaluable. He has so much knowledge of the history of India that it staggers my mind. There are many locals that visit as well, but there are no guided tours or maps. Occasionally there is a plaque to read but it seems like many are on their own to explore but perhaps not learn about the space. I must say though there are an awful lot who are posing for photos which I expect are uploaded to their instagram pages! (My kids will probably tell me that it isn’t Insta anymore mum!)

Leaving the fort we did the obligatory tour of the marble factory where we watched a video on how they mine the marble, carve it and then place small intricately carved pieces of gemstones into it to create elaborate designs. We then watched some local artisans before running the gauntlet of the hard sales to purchase … which this time they won as we picked up a small box with an elephant inlaid in the lid. It is all wrapped up for safe return to Australia so you will just have to trust me when I say it is lovely.

We are back in our hotel room now with time to kill before the restaurant opens at 7.00 for dinner. I am obviously blogging and Ian is working. I’ll post the blog after dinner though so I can share food photos!

Back from dinner … all I can say is OMG. An Indian buffet … dishes in varying degrees of spicy-ness. We were able try a whole of different curries, mainly vegetarian, plus breads like naan, roti and pappadams. Side note … as we sat eating dinner the wedding guests were arriving for their banquet dinner in the ballroom … they had all changed into dapper suits for the men, some heavily embroidered and flowy saris for the women of various gem colours … Ruby, emerald and sapphire. Swoon!

I'll have to update this post tomorrow with the photos of dinner ... it would seem that when the veil of darkness descends the internet quality is kaput and you struggle to upload anything. Sorry 😞